Establishment of a cBSA-mediated miRNA delivery system in Camellia sinensis and functional validation of the Cs-miR163/CsSK1 module in cold stress response.
- Open access
A cBSA-mediated miRNA delivery system was developed in Camellia sinensis, enabling efficient in vivo functional validation of miRNA-target modules, exemplified by a 72% gene silencing.
- Why it matters: Understanding and manipulating miRNA pathways in tea plants is limited by the lack of effective genetic tools, hindering advances in cold stress tolerance research and crop improvement.
- What they did: The study optimized a cBSA/miRNA complex protocol, achieving 48-fold increased delivery efficiency, confirmed internalization via endocytosis, and demonstrated functional silencing of CsSK1, enhancing cold tolerance.
- The result: This system enables precise gene regulation in woody plants, reducing stress-related damage and offering a promising platform for functional genomics and breeding strategies in tea and other species.